'Plucked out of thin air!' Farmer despairs at family farm tax raid as Keir Starmer suggests he is 'aware' of industry suicides

As Sir Keir Starmer was questioned on the raid during a Commons liaison committee session on Monday, the Prime Minister suggested he was "aware" of farm owners considering taking their own life as a result.

He told the committee: "I've had discussions with a number of individuals who have drawn all manner of things to my attention."

Reacting to the remarks, Mr Kinch told GB News: "I sort of think he's finally listened, which is an improvement, I guess.

"Because it's been well over a year now since this policy was plucked out of thin air and bought into the industry, and he's just finally had his first meeting with the NFU (National Farmers' Union) President."

He added: "They sent a junior Treasury minister to meet with industry representatives about half a year ago, and you're like, come on, this is a major policy change which wasn't in the manifesto.

"It's come out of absolute nowhere, and they've taken this long to listen to the industry."

Highlighting the impact on farmers and the increase in farmer suicides as a result, Mr Kinch explained: "It's an important point and it shows us why it's so important, if farmers are committing suicide because of this policy.

"They don't understand how it gets the very core of why we're farmers."

He said: "We had no warning about this a year ago, and you have seven years if you want to avoid this thing, to pass it on to the next generation.

"And the very best tax advice up until now has been to keep it in the top generation of the family, because most farms are family run, family owned, which is great, it's how it should be.

"Family businesses are the core of the country and they should very much be, and now they have seven years to transfer over, and in that seven year gap, if whoever transferred it down dies that means the older generations are going to have to pay the tax on it if they die in that time.'

Expressing particular concern for elderly and terminally ill farmers, Mr Kinch stated: "When you have elderly farmers that probably have cancer, terminal illnesses, you can do the maths and you think, I don't have seven years.

"And they think it's been all my life's work to pass it on to my kids, I really hope farmers don't take this choice and take their own lives."

Asked by host Miriam Cates if he is hopeful for a U-turn on the policy, the young farmer admitted: "I certainly hope there will be.

"He's U-turned on winter fuel and other stuff, so I hope he does see sense and decides to care about where we get our domestic food production in this country and how precious it is."

Quizzed by cohost Andrew Pierce on his own farm's situation, Mr Kinch revealed: "It's like many others up and down the country, it's grandad, dad, mum, and me, and you can sort of gather what sort of happens.

"It really is quite scary what might happen, but we'll see. I'm gradually learning from dad, but yeah, it's getting there."

Hailing farming as a key life skill, Mr Kinch stated: "But that's the thing with farming, there's understanding of the land, there's so much to understand.

"You don't just go to some sort of uni or college, it's a lifetime of work trying to understand how everything works. And the fields are a precious thing."

Criticising the Government's decision further, he argued that the policy is simply "using a sledgehammer to crack a nut".

He concluded: "If they wanted to stop people banking land to avoid inheritance tax, you would use a chisel on the policy, but this is using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, quite frankly.

"And you just think, come on. The problem is that they've just plucked this policy out of thin air."